Electric heating-stopper for liquid-containers.



E.-O. WEBSTER & H. GRUENHAGEN. ELECTRIC HEATING STOPPER FOR LIQUIDCONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.30.1914.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

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ir: E NUR ERNEST G. WEBSTER AND HENRY GRUENHAGEN, 0F OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC HEATING-STOPPER FOR LIQUID-CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed April 30, 1914. Serial No. 835,554.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ERNEST C. WEBSTER andHENRY GRUENHAGEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Oakland, inthe county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Electric Heating-Stoppers forLiquid-Containers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to heating appliances.

The primary object of our invention is the provision of a stopper for aliquid container, said stopper being provided with positive and negativeelectrodes whereby the liquid within the container when in contact withthe stopper will provide a passage for current through the liquid tothereby cause the liquid to be heated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a very simpleappliance of this character adapted to be readily attached to anordinary electric light socket of a house lighting system or to anyother easily accessible source of electricity.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing our stopper applied to a liquidcontainer and connected in an electric lighting circuit. Fig. 2 is afragmentary sectional view of the heating stopper applied to acontainer. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the stopper.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures and particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seenthat the container 2 may be of any suitable character and may be made ofrubber, metal or any other suitable material and of any desired shape.This container is shown as formed with the neck 3.

The stopper comprises the plug portion a which is made of non-conductingmaterial. Passing through the stopper are the conducting wires 5 and 6,and disposed upon the under face of the stopper are the electrodes 7 and8. The electrode 8 as illustrated is annular in form and surrounds thecentrally disposed electrode 7 These electrodes are preferably of carbonthough they may be made of any other suitable material. The electrodesare spaced from each other as shown and insulated from one another bysuitable insulation material and by the material forming the stopper.The wires 5 and 6 extend out through the stopper or plug and are, ofcourse, to be surrounded by lnsulation. One of the wires 5 or 6 isbroken at one point and a switch 9 is disposed in this gap and isadapted to close this gap. The switch may be of any suitable form andthe switch member per 86 forms no part of our invention. The wires 5 and6 are eX- tended into a plug 10 of any suitable or ordinary characterwhich is adapted to be connected to electric light socket. This plug isadapted to be connected in an electric circuit, the wires of which aredesignated 11 in Fig. 1, these wires being connected to any suitablesource of energy 12.

The operation of our invention will be readily seen. lVhen there is noliquid in the container, the circuit between the electrodes 7 and 8 isof course interrupted and no current can pass. hen, however, there isliquid in the container and the liquid comes in contact with theseelectrodes, it will be obvious that a current will pass through theliquid from one electrode to another thereby closing a circuit and thusthe liquid will be heated. XV hen the liquid is heated to a saf ficientdegree, the switch may be operated to break the circuit, and if theliquid again grows cool it may be heated to the proper degree byapplying the current from the switch. It is obvious also that apredetermined amount of current might be sent through the electrodes andthrough the water so as to keep a gentle heat in the liquid at alltimes. In order to heat the liquid it is not necessary that thecontainer be entirely filled as it is obvious that the container may beturned upside down to fill that portion surrounding the plug.

Our invention is particularly adapted to water bags and hospital use asthe patient or nurse can regulate the heat with the utmost nicety andthus maintain the desired temperature for long periods at a time whereasby the present method of using hot water bags, the bag must be emptiedafter the water or other liquid used therein is cooled and filled withfresh hot water or other liquid. Thus when the water bag is firstapplied to the patient it is usually too hot and after a relativelyshort time it is liable to become too cold and therefore lose itsbeneficial effect.

It will be noted that by the construction of the electrodes in ourdevice, overheating can not take place and no current passes from oneelectrode to the other to thereby create any heat unless the liquid isin electrical contact with both electrodes.

It is to be understood that the invention is applicable to all kinds ofvessels or containers for holding liquids, such as bottles or flasksholding beverages, bottles for heating milk or other liquid food andcontainers of any character or type wherein a stopper is used, thestopper being provided with heating electrodes as described.

What we claim is:

1. An electric heating stopper for liquid containers including a body ofinsulating material, conductor wires extended through the body, andspaced heating elements disposed upon the inner face of the stopper andconnected to the Wires, the heating elements extending but a slightdistance from such face of the stopper.

2. An electric heating stopper for liquid containers including a body ofinsulating material, electric conductors leading through the stopper tothe inner face thereof,- and heating elements secured to the inner faceof the stopper and to the conductors, one heating element including arelatively thin disk of carbon and the other a relatively thin ring ofcarbon surrounding and spaced from the disk.

In testimony whereof we afiiX our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ERNEST O. WEBSTER. [L. s.]

HENRY GRUENHAGEN. [L. s.] Witnesses:

RoBnRT M. FORD,

H. O. EDWARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

